Biography

Jay-Z, born Shawn Corey Carter on December 4, 1969, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is widely recognized as one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America. According to Forbes in 2012, Jay-Z's net worth was estimated at nearly $500 million. He has achieved global sales of approximately 50 million albums and has been honored with fourteen Grammy Awards, along with numerous other nominations. Jay-Z is consistently regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time and was ranked as the number one MC by MTV in 2006. Two of his albums, Reasonable Doubt (1996) and The Blueprint (2001), are considered iconic within the genre and were both named in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Blender also included Reasonable Doubt on their list of 500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die.